Team history

Born on April 3, 1983, Ugo Ihemelu is a Nigerian-born American soccer player who is currently with the FC Dallas. He attended Cedar Hill High School and played college soccer while attending Southern Methodist University in college. Ihemelu built a stellar athletic record for himself in college. He was named All-Missouri Valley Conference in his junior and senior seasons.

In the off-season Ihemelu played with Legends FC, also based in Texas. Playing in the team helped the 28 year old defender qualify for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup in 2004. He was the fifth overall pick during the 2005 MLS Superdraft. Still a rookie, Ihemelu helped the team win the US Open Cup and MLS Cup. He was traded to the Colorado Rapids in 2006, shortly after his second season before he was again traded to FC Dallas.

Ihemelu played for the national team and made his debut on January 29, 2006 in a match against Norway. He was also called up by Canada and played for the team in their match against St. Vincent and the Grenadines. However, his eligibility to play for the Canadian was in doubt, the main reason why he was fielded during the Canadian match against St. Vincent. He was then called up to train with the US team in 2009 and played with the team in its match against Sweden.